Ichi-Riki Sushi House

The sushi is fresh and tastes delicious, this is a hole in the wall kind of dingy place but with really good food. Everything we tried was delicious and we tried about 8 things on the menu. They serve good Japanese beer and the service is friendly

Recently returned from a two week long trip to Europe that finished in London (I am originally from Los Angeles, CA). My family and I are SERIOUS sushi eaters — none of this sauce drenched roll stuff, but actual authentic japanese food. At home I have sushi twice a week usually and I’m really particular where I go, because I like the raw stuff I eat to be very fresh…
Anywho, our last two nights in London, we ate here for dinner. THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING. The first night, we finished off their ikura and the second night they had more, just as fresh. I think they actually go to the fish market each morning and get fresh fish.
Between four of us and two nights we ate just about every variety of food they had on the menu — cooked, raw, udon, tempura, etc. and it was all AWESOME.
If i could, I’d give this place 6 stars — highly recommended.

We read the reviews here on Unilocal and were quite underwhelmed by the place. There was not one person in the place when we walked in… which can be a warning sign. The waitress seemed nice, yet confused. I ordered appetizers– an order of gyoza and miso soup for me and my husband. We were brought 3 gyoza and one miso soup. Maybe she thought I was just ordering appetizers for myself and not him? Don’t know. The sushi was nothing to get excited about, in fact we’ve probably had better from the grocery store. Not saying it was bad quality, it was just a little more plain than we are used to. When it came time for the bill, again the waitress seemed confused. I walked up to pay and she tried to walk past me with the bill to put it on our table. I had to stop her and tell her I wanted to pay at that time.
I don’t live in London so I won’t be going back. If i did live there I wouldn’t go back either.

A nice sushi place with several typical dishes, nice service, and cheap prices for London. Can be overlooked as you pass by as it is down a ramp of stairs, small and maybe a bit claustrophobic (but that’s also very authentic).
Sushi is very close to Japanese style, maybe on the smallish side, so don’t expect American sized portions and overblown rolls.
Would go back happily if I’m in the area again.

I love small independent family run restaurants especially when the food is from a very different culture such as Japanese. It does feel like you have escaped from hectic London and into a home or as my boyfriend described, a typical family restaurant in Kyoto, well this one anyway,
We arrived before 7pm, so it was still very quiet and peaceful. We thought we found a hidden gem but as the meal continued we realised that many have already discovered this gem located just a little further from St James Station, in a quiet narrow street of a morning market. Unless you were looking for a Japanese restaurant or knew of the place, I don’t think many will randomly walk in as it is very small, in the basement with little advertising outside. But fortunately for us we discovered it as we love our Japanese delights.
Ichi Riki is a bit more in price than the usual Japanese restaurant I’m used to– £6.00 for a basic California Roll and £11.00 for a Chicken Yakitori set however in return what you get is a very authentic meal, high in quality, skilled cutting and perfect seasoning and flavour. All the staff were Japanese and the décor was simple, wooden tables, clean like a traditional restaurant should be. The whole experience was just beautiful and we enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the food being prepared freshly by the skilled chefs who some were also our waitress.
Service was swift and quite quick. They were all smiley and polite, left you in peace but also attentive just like how I imagined Japanese staff to be. But the highlight of it all was definitely the food even though I’ve raved it up so much already.
We started off with some starters which include the pumpkin goroke, takoyaki, chicken yaktori and a Tempura special roll. The pumpkin goroke came piping hot, freshly made with that thin layer of crisp panko (breadcrumbs) into a good thickness of mashed pumpkin, velvety soft and perfectly seasoned. They manage to keep some moisture in making it a creamy smooth delight to enjoy. Takoyaki were just sublime. It had the perfect consistency of dough and a good generous chunk of octopus. One my Facebook I described the experience as «Remember that time you first notice it glistening in your eye. That anticipation as you take your first step lifting it into your mouth and you lose sight of it. It’s first crunch and crackling in your ear as your teeth seeps into it. That first burst of flavour as it tickles your taste buds. Then how it’s creamy filling just oozes into your mouth and flows down to the back of your tongue. How you just let it linger in your mouth and the only sound you can make is ‘mmmmmm’… Before that first decision to actually bite and chew on that delicious firm yet tender piece of surprise. That’s Takoyaki at Ichi Riki for you» Yep… it had a story of it’s own. The chicken yaktori were succulent as expected, perfect in flavour, not too sweet or salty and a joy to eat with the well marinated salad in it’s appetising dressing. Last but not least was my ultimate favourite dish of the night, the prawn tempura special roll. That texture, soft fluffy rice, warm, smothered lightly with mayo biting into a good crunch from the battered prawn and asparagus and that honey mustard just leaking through all the beautiful layers was just heavenly. You know when you love it so much when you see the last bite and can’t find the heart to eat it and finish it. It was that awful to experience or that good.
Next came the mains which included the udon set £15.00 and the Unagi don set £13.00. The udon set came with a salmon hand roll, a nigri platter and a miso soup. All the rice was perfect in texture like it had been, held well in the nigri and handroll and was sticky like expected. The sliced fishes were cut skilfully, smooth so each piece just melted in your mouth still with that firmness suggested freshness. And that perfectly ripen avocado in the handroll just gave a kick of flavour to the salmon, adding that nice buttery creamy texture The udon in a miso broth was rich, a good portion with udon that were firm and bouncy. We happily slurped those down and drank all the remaining broth.
My unagi set was a joy to devour. Generous sliced pieces of eel lightly coated with a sweet sauce, just enough to soak the top layer of rice but not too much to drench it. They were fresh, succulent and so tender.
We finish the meal with a umeshu (plum wine) which was a high quality one, rich, thick and sweet, generous poured into a glass along with a warm doriyaki of red beans that tasted like home-​made with it’s fresh filling of soft yet all rounded beans.
I hate the thought of sharing this review only to find the place completely packed next time we’re there but then again this restaurant cannot be missed! We plan our next visit already.

Few years ago I had the chance to travel to Japan and eat original sushi there, I can say that the one offered here tastes the same or at least its pretty close. Its just amazing, I became a lover of sushi after my visit to Japan and started visiting this restaurant more recently because of that. I just love the staff and how they are always smiling, being so polite and welcoming, also the decoration is really nice too.
I highly recommend this place!

Wansnt a fan of seafood until I came here. A friend of mine brought me to this restaurant and treated me a portion of sushi. I was astonished when I ate it, it felt so fresh and it was so delicious. I couldnt believe my self what I’ve been missing all this time, when refusing to eat sushi or any other kind of seafood dish.
The place is decorated fairly nice both inside and outside, the staff are polite, nice, kind, fast and welcoming. The prices are average. Recommended!

An authentice sushi bar local to Victoria and Westminster (a stone’s throw from New Scotland Yard and Channel 4), Ichi Riki has been around for over a decade and never fails to please.
It is a tiny, tiny little downstairs place and every inch of space is used with typical Japanese ingenuity! Sushi and sashimi is pretty much all they do — they don’t distract themselves with noodle or other big dishes (although they had noodles in the past which were excellent, they no longer serve them).
Incrediby fresh sashimi cut from big fillets at the bar to order and served fresh i.e. no pre-​made sushi or sashimi. It is a joy to behold. From time to time there are some creative, new variations on offer. In the summer, they sometimes do home made green tea ice cream.
The staff are fantastic, friendly and efficient. Would rather come to this little place for sushi and sashimi than pricier, prettier places. This is a delightful place for people who value what they eat!

This is everything a proper Japanese restaurant should be in my humble book. Kind and polite staff, and an old Japanese gentleman wearing small spectacles quietly preparing sushi behind a bar. The location is a tiny basement decorated with stock photos of Sushi. Tasteful quirky touches abound, from the fantastic cat design wrapping their paws around the menu to the use of giant teacups and saucers for a bowl — this is my vision of Japan all over.
For those seeking sushi near Victoria station, Ichi-​riki cannot fail to satisfy. The sushi is excellent and well priced — lunch will set you back about 15 pounds. Be careful when you look for the entrance though — blink and you’ll miss it — another part of the charm of this quirky place.

A friend of mine asked me out for dinner a few weeks ago and it was in Ichi-​Riki Sushi House. I was having some doubts about the place when I first reached the restaurant; it has a small narrow staircase leading down to the entrance of the restaurant. Down at the entrance, I then had to make my way through the tiny dining space packed with tables and chairs.
However, things turned 180 degrees when the food started to be served. We had Tempura prawn roll, takoyaki, salmon and tuna sashimi, grilled eel, udon, tofu and lots more. It was such a delightful and tasty meal! The food was fresh and well-​presented. The menu was varied! This was some of the best Japanese that I have had in London! Although not particularly cheap, the bill came up to £35 per person, it was well worth it! I would definitely return for another!